Global Clients — UK → Europe
UK Companies Selling into Europe After Brexit
Europe is still the most accessible market for most UK exporters, but the commercial conversation changed: a European buyer now asks who handles conformity, who is the responsible person inside the EU and who absorbs the customs cost, usually before price is discussed at all.
In short
UK companies can still sell successfully into Europe, but the route to market has to answer conformity marking, an EU-based responsible person and customs documentation credibly. Evans Sales Consultancy helps UK businesses choose the first European market, structure distribution or direct sales around those requirements, and do the commercial work to win the first accounts.
Who this is for: UK manufacturers and technical B2B businesses selling into EU markets, or restarting European sales that stalled after 2021.
The three questions a European buyer asks first
None of these are insurmountable, and specialists exist for all of them. What loses opportunities is a vague answer in the first conversation. A UK supplier who can answer all three plainly is often more attractive than a cheaper one who cannot.
- Who holds the conformity documentation, and is the marking correct for the EU rather than for Great Britain?
- Who is the responsible person or importer of record inside the EU?
- Who pays duty and handles the customs paperwork — and what does that do to my landed cost?
Why the distributor question changed
Before 2021, a UK company could serve several EU countries directly with modest friction. Now, an EU-based distributor frequently carries importer responsibilities as well as sales ones, which changes who you are looking for and what they will expect in margin and exclusivity.
That makes partner selection a commercial decision with regulatory consequences, not simply a sales appointment. Distributor & Partner Search covers the research and approach; the terms discussion is where most of the value sits.
Choosing the first European market
Certification effort and distribution habits differ enough between Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain and the Nordics that the first choice largely sets the cost of entry. We work through which market's buying pattern actually matches how you can supply, rather than which market is biggest.
Restarting European sales that stalled
A common pattern: European revenue that quietly fell away after 2021, a distributor who stopped ordering, and nobody in the business with time to find out why. That is a recoverable position more often than it looks — the accounts usually still exist, and the reason is normally paperwork friction or an unmanaged partner rather than lost demand.
What we do — and what we don’t claim
- Evans Sales Consultancy does not provide customs, legal, tax or regulatory advice, and does not act as an EU responsible person.
- We are UK based and do not claim offices or staff in any European market.
Market expansion insights
Thinking about a new market?
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Common questions
Yes, but with more documentation than before. Conformity marking, an EU responsible person and customs paperwork all have to be answered in the sales process. The companies struggling are usually those who left those answers vague, not those facing lost demand.
Not necessarily. Many UK exporters work through an EU distributor or importer who carries those responsibilities. An entity becomes worth considering when volume, control or public-sector buying requires it.
The one whose certification requirements and distribution habits match what you can supply now. We assess this commercially — buying structure, partner economics and service expectations — rather than by market size.
No. We are commercial advisers, not customs agents or regulatory consultants. We make sure the questions are answered convincingly in the sales process and tell you plainly when a specialist is needed.
Planning this move from United Kingdom?
Talk it through directly with Tom Evans, or build a structured market entry plan first. You will get an honest view of what the move would take.
Prefer to speak directly?